Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still a very long way off. The fact that it’s happening at all is certainly something to be excited about, but it’s important not to let the hype take control just yet. The trailer shown at E3, while looking very much like the kind of game Beyond Good and Evil fans have been waiting for, was showing-off a concept for a game rather than describing what the game will definitely be like. In actuality, the game is firmly rooted in the early stages of development, something that was made very clear earlier this week in IGN’s protoype gameplay walkthrough with Michel Ancel.

(Video from YouTube channel: IGN)

The star of the this walkthrough video was most certainly the tech Ancel and his team have developed to power the game. It deserves the spotlight too, because what’s on display here really is quite incredible. What Ancel is showing here is an engine capable of feats many of us haven’t seen before. It allows for planets with lighting dictated by their orbits and rotations. It allows for seamless transition from interior spaces all the way out to high orbit of a given planet. It enables real-time modification of a planet’s surface via events like meteorite impacts. Ancel stated that they’ve been developing this tech for around three years now, and it certainly shows. Hopefully they’ll be able to make full use of it in the actual game.

What was on display in this walkthrough video was a gameplay prototype. It’s not the actual game, but something akin to a proof of concept, and it’s important to remember that. It looks like Ancel and his team are quite literally trying to reach for the stars with Beyond Good and Evil 2, and they just might have the tools to do it. Hopefully, they’ll be able to do just that, as the success of such a project would encourage large publishers like Ubisoft to support even more new and ambitious projects in the future. For now though, all we can do is marvel at the tech they’re working with while keeping our own expectations in check. With good management and a lot of luck, they might just be able to put out a game that can do everything shown and discussed in this video. Really though, I don’t think Beyond Good and Evil 2 needs to do everything shown in the video. Even if they’re only able successfully incorporate one or two of these features, I think it’ll shape up to be a successful game…so long as they get the story and actual gameplay right, that is.

What are your thoughts on Beyond Good and Evil 2? Are you looking forward to it? Which of these features would you be most excited to experience in the game?

Image from official Beyond Good and Evil 2 E3 trailer